Editorial: Let's all make sure we have no more traffic fatalities

Two people died and another in critical condition after a crash on Joel Boulevard, Friday Oct. 18, 2013.

Sixty-three people have died in Lee County this year in traffic-related accidents; more than six a month. At that rate the number of traffic fatalities could reach well beyond 80.

It will take everyone, not just motorists, to make sure that doesn't happen.

This region's population will more than double in the next few months as the snowbirds come to enjoy paradise. The number of vehicles on the roads will increase by 60 to 70 percent, highway safety experts say. The formula is simple: More vehicles and more people equal more opportunities for crashes.

Many of the snowbird drivers are not used to this area's streets and roads. Many are not familiar with Florida's laws and driving traditions. They are in strange, dangerous territory.

Safety experts advise to drive defensively not always claiming your right of way, and do not let yourself be distracted - the big one as technology brings more electronic gadgets to the front seats of our automobiles.

But the way, pedestrians and bicycle riders can also help. They need to be just as responsible as automobile drivers.

Walkers can avoid stepping off a curb in the face of oncoming traffic, for one thing. It is against Florida law to step into traffic and force it to stop suddenly. Even if they don't get killed or maimed, they can get arrested. They can avoid walking across the street in the middle of a block. That is especially dangerous. Early morning walkers need to be super careful. It is that time just after dawn that the eyes have trouble adjusting from darkness to light and drivers' vision is not so good. It helps to wear reflective clothing.

Bicycle riders should also wear reflective clothing, or have a blinking light attached to their bicycle. Not having a light or reflector on a bike is also against the law. Police look for those bikes without lights. A few weeks back, two suspected drug dealers carrying their gear on bikes were stopped when police saw no light. They were lucky. They could have been killed.

Bikers and walkers can avoid being distracted. Chatting while crossing a roadway can take your mind away from being safe.

One of the big problems is that pedestrians are often bad at judging a motor vehicle's speed. Cars are coming faster than they anticipate.

The mantra of safety experts is for everyone to always be aware of his or her surroundings. They call it "situational awareness."

Jay Anderson, executive director of Stay Alive? Just Drive sums it up with a one-word caution for us when we are out and about: "Think."

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Editorial: Let's all make sure we have no more traffic fatalities

Sixty-three people have died in Lee County this year in traffic-related accidents; more than six a month. At that rate the number of traffic fatalities could reach well beyond 80.